TheAppAdviceweekinreview:IstheAppleWatchdoomed?

Do we really want (or need) an Apple Watch? Should Samsung buy BlackBerry? These questions and more were discussed during the week that was.

“Steve Jobs” begins filming

The company that became Apple got its start in the garage at Steve Jobs’ childhood home in Los Altos, California. It’s fitting then that “Steve Jobs,” the biopic penned by Aaron Sorkin, began filming this week at this iconic location.

Samsung might snag BlackBerry

Apple competitor Samsung is making a strong play to purchase beleaguered smartphone maker BlackBerry for $7.5 billion. The company, in a hunt for BlackBerry’s extensive patent portfolio, wants to purchase the company for a premium of anywhere from 38 to 60 percent more than its current stock price.

As Brent Dirks highlighted:

It will definitely be interesting to see whether Samsung can pull off the purchase. I suspect along with patents, Samsung sees BlackBerry as its best way to make the push into the enterprise sector, which still has room for growth.

Analysts, AppAdvice readers discuss the Apple Watch

Things are very quiet on the Apple news front, making it the perfect time for many to discuss the upcoming Apple Watch.

In recent days, a number of analysts have weighed in on Apple’s first wearable device. Most have turned decidedly bearish on the Apple Watch, which is likely to arrive in stores in March.

On Thursday, CNBC said that Abhey Lamba of Mizuho Securities had downgraded Apple’s stock to “neutral” from “buy.” The change reflected Lamba’s opinion that Cupertino’s first wearable device “could be disappointing,” and cause Apple’s stock to drop by 20 percent.

Earlier, the cable network noted that Union Square Ventures partner Fred Wilson said that the Apple Watch “will not be the home run product that iPod, iPhone and iPad have been.” They even suggested that the wearable device could be Apple’s “(Microsoft) Zune moment.”

Apple’s had plenty of Zune moments already, Pippin and Newton spring to mind. It’ll be interesting to watch (!) given that any wearable tech faces a lot of hurdles, but I doubt anyone will blame Apple for having a go.

If Apple releases the watch and it does as they touted AND isn’t so buggy that they have to release 2 software updates immediately, then I think it’ll sell. Will it sell in the millions? Maybe not, but it’ll sell. Many of us iOS users are looking for an iOS compatible watch that isn’t Pebble.